Bolster-spring for vehicles.



W. T. SHAVER.

'BOLSTER SPRING FOB VEHICLES.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 18, 1912.

Patented Apr. 13, 1915.

1N VEN TOR.

Wad JJ/ZM A TTORNEY.

THE NORRIS PETERS CO-, FHD7-|JTHO-. WASHINGTON, D: C.

WILLIAM T. SHAVER, 0F DES MOINES, IOWA.

BOLSTER-SPRING FQR VEHICLES.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, 1215.

Application filed November 18, 1912. Serial No. 732,171.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that 1, WILLIAM T. SHAVER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Des Moines, in the county ofPolk and State of Towa, have invented a certain new and useful BolsterSpring for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a spring for wagon gears havingthe general form of a semi-elliptical or bow-spring with the endsextending downwardly and outwardly from the central portion, the centralportion being formed with a horizontal portion of considerable length.

A further object is to provide such a spring so arranged that the wagonbed is supported upon a broad base so that the weight of the load willrest on the running gear near the'outer ends of the axles rather than atthe center thereof.

A further object is to mount such a spring having leaves, in the mannerdescribed with the ends slidable, the spring being so arranged that whena heavy load is carried the shorter leaves will carry a larger part ofthe burden.

A further object is to provide such a spring so arranged as to reducethe tilting of the wagon bed to a minimum, and yet to avoid interferencewith another part of the gear when such tilting occurs.

My invention consists in certain details, in the construction,arrangement and combination of the various parts of the device, wherebythe objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully setforth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, in which:

Figure 1 shows a front elevation of a portion of the wagon gear at thefront end of the wagon equipped with a spring embodying my invention.Fig. 2 shows a front elevation of a portion of the wagon gear at therear end of the wagon equipped with my invention. Figs. 3 and 4 showdetail, sectional views of portions of my spring showing the manner inwhich the ends thereof are mounted, and Fig. 5 shows a vertical,longitudinal sectional view through a wagon gear, my improved springsbeing shown in side elevation.

In the accompanying drawings, I have used the reference numeral 10 toindicate the front wheels, and the numeral 11 to indicate the rearwheels of a wagon, said wheels being mounted upon axles 12 and 13.

length, I furnish a broad ing through the held spaced Above the rearaxle and above the ordinary parts of the gear at that part of the wagon,is mounted a transverse bar 14, secured to the upper surface of which, 1preferably provide a channel bar 15 with its flanges extending upwardly.A bolster or bar 16 is held above the channel bar and spaced aparttherefrom by the spring 17 hereinafter more fully described. The bolster12 preferably consists of a channel bar with its side flanges extendingdownwardly At each end of the bolster 16 are bolster posts 18 which maybe made of any suitable material, size and shape, to receive betweenthem the bed or box of a wagon.

My improved spring is preferably a leaf spring with the shorter leavesarranged above the longer leaves, as clearly shown in Figs. 1 and 2, andhaving its ends extended downwardly and outwardly from the centralportion A, which is preferably semielongated forming a horizontalsupport which is received within the channel bar bolster 16 and securedthereto by bolts 19 or any other suitable means. By having the portion Aof the spring 17 of considerable base for the bolster to rest upon. Theends of the spring are mounted in the channel bar 15 in the followingmanner: The ends of the lower and longer leaf are bent upwardly and theninwardly to form loops 20, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. I provide bolts 21extending through the vertical flanges of the channel bar 15 and throughthe loops 20 gvliich are designed to slide freely on said Mounted abovethe front axle in the ordinary way is a sandboard or bar 22 onthe uppersurface of which is a smooth plate 23 of ordinary construction. Abovethe sandboard 22 is a bar 24- on the lower surface of which is a plate25 designed to move freely on the plate 23. Mounted on the upper side ofthe bar 24: is a channel bar 26 with its side flanges extendingupwardly. Extendchannel bar 26, the bar 22, the plates 23 and 25, andthe axle 12 is a bolt 27. The axle 12 and the bar 22 and the plate 23are designed to turn on the bolt 27, thus permitting the lateralmovement of the wheels.

apart therefrom by the spring 28, hereinafter more fully described, is abolster 29, preferably made of a channel bar with the side flangesextending down- Above the channel bar 261and wardly. The "central 1portion" B of the 7 spring 17, is received in the central portion Ibolts2l. 7

spring28, which is'similarin form to the of the bolster-29 and issecured thereto by bolts 19 or other suitable means. The outer ends ofthe lower leaf of the spring 28 are formed into loops 30 which areslidably i mounted in the channel bar 26 by means of Weightjof the loadistaken away from the center of the eerie end pleeed neer the i J I eeee, ee 31 eeeeee' meme it wagon b ed and also preventing frictionbetweenithe bed and bolster posts. Although the tendency in the bed totilt is reduced to a minimum, the arrangement of my spring 7 i at thefront end of .the wagon is such that if the bed does tilt it cannotinterfere with thehounds. 'The use of the channel bar construction forthe bars 2 9, 16, 26 and15 gives a maximum of strength with a minimumofweight. The flanges of the chanadjustment.

nel bars also tend to support, strengthen and aidthe springs. Bymounting the ends of the springs slidable on the bolts 21, the end ofthe spring may slide to furnish a perfect With the springs arranged inthis way, whena heavy load is imposed on springs downwardly andoutwardly, the

scribed.

the springs, the ends of the lower leaves rest flat on the bottoms ofthe channel bars 15 and 26, and when the springs are pressed down,theneXt shorter leaves take part of the weight of the load, therebygreatly adding to the strength of the springs.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a vehicle, the combination with a front axle, of a sand-boardmounted thereon, a bar carried above said sand-board, a bolt passingthrough said members intermediate of their ends, a leaf bow springhaving its endsextending downwardly and outwardly from its center andhaving its outer and lower ends slidably attached to said her adJacentt0 the outer ends thereof, and a vehicle body carried on said springinterhue Ml it it :2. Ina vehicle, the combination with an axle, of asand-board mounted thereon, a bar mounted on said sand-board, a channelbar mounted on said last named bar having its side flanges extendingupwardly, a leaf bowspring having its ends extending outwardly anddownwardly and resting upon and slidably carried on said channel baradjacent to its outer ends, and a vehicle body carried on said springintermediate of its ends, sub

7 stantially as described.

7 WILLIAM T. SHAVER.

Witnesses: a

' Jnssne MOORMAN,

M. WALLACE.

-C'0pies of this patent may be obtained; for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

7 Washington, D. C. I

